by Aaron Hodges
“What is this place?” Jasmine asked, “And what exactly is this ‘movement’ of yours doing?”
“This is a safe house for people the government are hunting,” Maria replied, “There are a few in the city now. You should be safe here, so long as we weren’t followed. Mike’s making sure of that right now – he should be back soon.”
“Mike?” Chris asked.
“Our driver,” Maria replied, “As for what we’re doing… For now, mostly we’ve been gathering information. There are several foreign nations concerned about what our government has been up to. So far they have been afraid to act, but the tide is turning. The President is losing control of his citizens. Much of the countryside is close to open rebellion, and some of the cities aren’t far from following. The growing poverty, the Chead, the military crackdowns, the curfews, they’re all taking a toll. The people are losing faith in the government.”
“In other words, nothing,” Jasmine muttered, but Chris waved a hand to quiet her.
“It’s a start,” he said softly.
“Yes,” Maria replied, “But we need more. We need something to light the match, to start a fire in people’s hearts. What just happened in the square, it is only the beginning. If we wait too long, the government will crush us all like flies.”
“Sure hope not,” Chris started as someone spoke behind them. Leaping to his feet, he spun to face the unfamiliar voice.
A figure stood in the doorway watching them from beneath a broad-rimmed hat. He wore tight fitting jeans and a buttoned shirt with long sleeves. His boots thudded on the wooden floor as he strode across the room and took a seat at the table. A grin stretched across his bronzed face as he looked around at them.
“Y’all make yourselves comfortable?”
CHAPTER 15
Liz stood staring down at the newcomer. He had taken the seat beside Maria, and now sat looking up at them from beneath the brim of his hat. Her wings had snapped open as she stood, but his grin did not falter at the sight of them. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, and rested his boots on the table.
“No one followed us?” Maria asked when no one spoke.
Sucking in a breath, Liz struggled to calm her racing heart. There was no mistaking the man’s accent, the southern twang of a Texan. And while she knew the truth behind the Chead now, Liz had spent most of her life blaming the Lone Star State for the plague that had ravaged the countryside. Her hatred had only grown with the loss of her mother, and now it was all she could do to keep herself from tearing the Texan apart.
“Nope, we’re in the clear,” the man laughed, “Y’all caused quite the scene.”
“Liz, are you okay?” Chris asked beside her.
Liz flashed him a glance. His brow was creased and he was staring up at her in confusion. Slowly she nodded, and taking a deep breath, lowered herself back into the chair. She glanced at Jasmine, and saw the same shock reflected in her eyes.
“This is Mike. He came to me a few months ago, not long after I joined the Mad Women. This is his safe house,” Maria was speaking again, though Liz struggled to take in her words. She sat staring at the Texan, still trying to sort through the emotions warring within her.
“And now its y’alls,” Mike laughed. His eyes swept over them, and then back to Liz. “Something the matter, miss?”
It took several seconds for Liz to realise he was addressing her. “No... no.” She shook her head, “It’s just… you’re from Texas?”
The Texan gently took his feet from the table and leaned towards her. “Is that a problem?”
Liz sucked in another breath, still trying to regain her composure. She forced a smile. “A few days ago, I’d have torn you limb from limb for that.”
The man’s smile didn’t falter. “And now?”
To her surprise, Liz laughed. “Now I know better. I’ll give you a few hours to prove yourself.”
“How very generous of you,” Mike tipped his hat, “Might I ask what inspired such a change of heart?”
“That’s a long story…” Liz answered, “The short of it is, I know you weren’t behind the Chead.”
“Ah…” the Texan leaned forward in his chair again, “Now you’ve got my attention! That little piece of misinformation has been a thorn in our side for years.”
“I can imagine,” Liz raised an eyebrow, “If you spoke with that accent where I come from, you’d have more than me to deal with.”
“Yes, I generally pretend I’m from a little further south,” Mike replied in a Mexican accent, “It tends to draw less unwanted attention.”
“But what are you doing here?” Chris asked.
The Texan turned to stare at him. “Perhaps you’d like to fill me in a little more about yourselves,” he smiled, “After all, the last I checked the only humans with wings belonged to the government.”
Beside her, Jasmine growled, and Liz quickly reached out and placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. Jasmine turned to look at her, her lips drawn back in a scowl, but Liz stared her down. For half a second, Liz thought she glimpsed specks of grey in the girl’s eyes. She gave Jasmine’s shoulder a squeeze; part reassurance, part threat.
Jasmine’s eyebrows lifted and her chest swelled as she took a deep breath. A shudder went through her and she closed her eyes. When they opened again, Liz saw the fear there.
“It’s okay,” she said softly, aware the others at the table were staring, “You’ll be okay.”
She waited until Jasmine nodded, and then turned back to the others. “You wanted answers, Mike?” she bit her lip, “Well, the short of it is, we’re not too far removed from the Chead ourselves.”
For the first time, the smile slipped from Mike’s face. “What?”
Liz glanced at Chris, wondering how much she should say, before continuing. “The government created us, but we’re only the latest variation of an old experiment. They’ve been playing with their little project for decades, tinkering away, trying to create the perfect human.”
“Or the perfect soldier,” Ashley whispered from the other side of the table.
Nodding, Liz glanced at Maria. “They call it the Praegressus Project. It’s where they’ve been taking all your missing children. And I’m afraid most weren’t as lucky as us.”
“What does this have to do with the Chead?” Mike pressed.
Looking back at him, Liz slowly shook her head. “You still don’t see? The Chead were the first ones, the first children to survive the government’s cruel experiment.”
Silence fell across the table as she told them about Artemis, the ancient Chead they had discovered in the corridors beneath the courthouse. How he had been taken prisoner as a child during the American War. How he had watched hundreds of prisoners die screaming as their scientists sought a weapon to use against the United States. And how he had survived, becoming the first of the creatures that had gone on to plague the Western Allied States.
“So it’s true,” the Texan whispered as she finished, “We always suspected… but there was never proof.”
“Unfortunately, we still don’t have any,” Chris replied bitterly, “Artemis died in the courthouse, a victim of their so-called ‘terrorist attack’.”
Liz frowned as a thought occurred to her. “Maybe not?” her cheeks flushed as everyone in the room turned to stare at her. Shaking her head, she went on. “I don’t know much about what they did to us, but surely there’s a link between our DNA and the Chead?”
Mike sighed. “No doubt, but all genetic information about the Chead is classified. Scientists who aren’t on the government’s payroll can only speculate about the Chead’s genetic makeup. They definitely don’t have any samples to compare with yours.”
“No, but what if we had a sample of our own?” Liz smiled as the others continued to stare at her, uncomprehending. “Have you already forgotten what Halt said in the courthouse? Mira used to be Chead.”
Silence met her announcement. Across the table, Mike slowly sat back in his chair. His eyes glanced in th
e direction of the infirmary. “What do you mean, ‘used to be’?”
Liz chuckled at the tension in his voice. “She’s not anymore. Or at least, not in the classic sense. She was infected with the same strain of virus as us. It seems to have masked the more aggressive traits of the Chead,” she glanced at Jasmine, “At least, most of the time.”
“We’d still need a geneticist to look at the samples,” Ashley mused. She’d been quiet through most of the conversation, but now she looked around the table. “There’s a professor at the University of San Francisco who specialises in Genetic Engineering. I’m not sure how receptive he’d be if a bunch of fugitives showed up on his doorstep, though.”
“How do you know which professors work at the university?” Chris asked.
“I studied there for a few months, before…” Ashley trailed off.
Liz blinked. “You what?”
Ashley’s face turned beet red. “I never mentioned that? I graduated high school six months early…”
Beside Liz, Chris laughed. “Well, maybe you can show us around when we visit this professor–”
“No,” Mike and Maria cut in together.
Chris fell silent, his mouth still open as he turned to stare at the two adults.
Mike shook his head. “No,” he repeated, “It’s too much of a risk. Between the wings and the photos in all the papers, you’re too recognisable.”
“So what, you expect us to just sit here?” Jasmine growled.
“For now,” Mike answered steadily. Liz opened her mouth to protest, but he spoke over her. “But that doesn’t mean we’ll be doing nothing. I’ll go instead.”
“You?” Chris asked, frowning.
“Yes,” Mike’s smile had returned now, “I guess it’s time I told you why I’m here.”
Liz glanced at the others, and then nodded hesitantly.
“I was sent by the Lone Star State to assess the situation here on the ground. We’ve been watching the WAS for years – ever since they started accusing us of espionage. I’ve been here for over a year now, collecting information and sending updates back to my government. It won’t be the first risk I’ve taken here.”
“So you’re a spy?” Jasmine asked bluntly.
Mike shrugged. “I’m whatever I need to be,” he laughed, “And right now, I’m the best chance you have of clearing your names, and freeing your country from that tyrant you call a President.”
CHAPTER 16
Sam groaned as he opened his eyes and found himself lying alone on a single bed. Shaking his head, he started to sit up, and then gasped as pain shot through his leg. His memory came rushing back, and he looked down and saw the bandages wrapped around his calf.
Swearing under his breath, he carefully pulled himself into a sitting position and looked around the infirmary. There were several other beds crammed into the little room, but only one other was occupied. Mira lay in the bed beside his, her face pale, her hair slick with sweat. A sheet had been tucked up to her neck, concealing any sign of her injuries.
Slowly, Sam lifted himself up and hobbled across to Mira’s bed. His wings hung heavy behind him and his leg refused to take his weight, but he made it without falling. Cursing Chris and the soldiers under his breath, he sat on the edge of Mira’s bed, and reached out to pull back the covers. Mira shifted slightly with the movement, and sighed with relief to see she was alive.
Under the covers, Mira still wore a plain blue shirt, but beneath he could see her right shoulder had been wrapped in bandages. Her chest rose and fell in a gentle rhythm, and even with his inexperienced eyes, he could see Mira was in far better condition than Ashley had been when she’d been shot.
“The doctor says she’ll be okay,” Sam turned as Chris’s voice came from the doorway.
“Doctor?” he raised an eyebrow.
Nodding, Chris stepped into the room and moved across to the bed. “Luxury service here. One of the Mad Women was a medic during the war. Retired a long time ago, but seems like she still knows her stuff. Apparently, the bullet passed right through her shoulder.”
“That’s good, I guess. How about my leg?” Sam asked sourly.
Chris flinched and looked away. “I told you I was no leader, Sam,” he whispered.
“You’re right about that,” Sam groaned as he stood and stumbled back to his bed. Lying down, he tried to find a position where his calf didn’t ache. “So, who is she?”
“What?” Chris blinked back.
Sam laughed. “The woman who stood up to the Director. You know her – I saw it in your eyes.”
A smile tugged at Chris’s lips. “She’s my nana.”
Despite himself, Sam found himself grinning back. “I’m happy for you,” he shook his head, “It’s about time one of us had some good news.”
“You aren’t angry?” Chris asked.
“Furious,” Sam winked, “But I’m sure the girls have already put you through the ringer. How is Jasmine, by the way?”
“Awake, and human,” Chris replied, “The change didn’t do anything for her temper though.”
Sam laughed and shook his head. “Between you and her, I’ll never understand how the lot of you survived long enough to rescue us.”
“Believe me, it was a close thing,” Liz said, appearing in the doorway, “Did you get the feather, Chris?”
“Not yet,” Chris walked across to Mira’s bed and then hesitated, glancing back at them. “Ah, anyone else want to do it?”
Liz crossed her arms. “Oh no, she’s all yours.”
Chris rolled his eyes and turned back to Mira. His shoulders rose as he took a breath, and then he reached down and plucked a feather from her half-exposed wing. A dull growl rumbled up from Mira’s throat and she shifted beneath the covers. Her eyes remained closed, but Chris still made a hasty retreat.
“What’s that for?” Sam asked.
“Plan B,” Liz answered with a smile, “Now, do you mind if I borrow Chris? I’m not quite finished telling him off.”
Chris’s cheeks turned red as Sam waved his permission. He lay back in his bed as the two of them disappeared into the hallway, and then smiled as Ashley took their place. The smile fell from his lips though as he saw her face. There were tears in her amber eyes, and she stepped hesitantly into the room, as though afraid of what he might do.
“Sam…” she whispered.
“Looks like we’ve traded places, Ash,” he joked with a smile. He patted the bed beside him.
Ashley gave a half-choked laugh. Tears spilt from her eyes, but her head bounced in what could have been a nod, and she moved across the room to join him. As she lowered herself down and sat where Chris had been, he reached up and brushed the hair from her face.
“What’s wrong, Ash?” he asked.
A tremor went through Ashley and he felt her grow tense. For a second he thought she would flee, before the tension went from her in a rush and she slumped against the wall beside him.
“I sorry, Sam,” Ashley whispered, her face stretched with sorrow, “I don’t know what happened, I just froze.”
“What are you talking about, Ash?” leaning forward, Sam pulled her into his arms, “There’s nothing for you to be sorry for.”
But she shook her head and pulled away from him. “You needed me, and I wasn’t there,” tears spilt down her cheeks, “I just stood there with Jonathan and watched while the soldiers surrounded you.”
Looking into her eyes, Sam could see her terror, hiding just below the surface. He held her by the wrists as she tried to rise, and shook his head.
“Ash, we all reacted differently. Heck, I wish Jasmine had held back, after what happened,” Sam sighed, “Besides, you were there when we needed you the most.”
“When you needed me,” a faint smile crossed Ashley’s face, but it did not touch her eyes. Reaching down, she brushed her hand across his cheek. “I was so afraid, Sam,” her voice wavered.
“It was your first fight, Ash,” Sam took her hand and pressed it to his
lips, “Next time it will be easier.”
Ashley closed her eyes. “I was terrified,” she stood suddenly, pulling herself free of Sam’s arms. He tried to stop her, but she stepped back and his hands found only empty air. She shook her head, her eyes wide. “When the soldiers came, all I could see was Halt, standing over me again, using me...” she broke off, choking on her grief. “I’m as helpless now as I was chained to that hospital bed.”
“No,” Sam pushed himself up, though with his injured leg he couldn’t move after her. “You came back, you helped us. Mira and I would never have escaped the square without you.”
Ashley’s shoulders sagged and she shook her head. “I don’t want to go back, Sam,” her voice shook and his heart went out to her, “I can’t… I won’t be used like that again.”
“You won’t,” Sam insisted, “I won’t let them. I’ll keep you safe.”
He watched as Ashley looked up. Her amber eyes met his, and a shadow passed across her face. “My parents told us that, once,” she whispered, “My sister and I, they said they’d protect us… said they’d keep the dark things away.”
“Ash…” he tried to stand, to reach her.
“Now they’re all dead: my mum, my dad, my sister. I’m all there is left. Sometimes I wish I could join them. When I think of all those kids… the ones they’re going to take because of us,” her voice broke then and she turned away, “I’m a coward. I should have made him kill me, before I let you help him.”
“No, Ash,” he stumbled after her, but she was already halfway across the room, “That was my decision, it’s not your fault.”
“Their blood is on our hands, Sam,” Ashley whispered, her eyes brimming with tears.
Then she was gone, leaving Sam to stare at the empty doorway where she had stood.
CHAPTER 17
Liz sighed as she lowered herself down into the armchair and looked up at Chris. They had just given Mira’s feather to the Texan, who had promptly left on his mission. Chris’s grandmother had retired to her room to rest. Liz could hardly blame her. After the morning’s events, even Liz was exhausted, and Maria Sanders did not have the advantage of youth or genetically enhanced stamina.
